Reminisce
by Cossacks250
Summary: Just a series of one shots Max has throughout the game. Enjoy. Some dialogue changed slightly and events added in. Most are in order but some are not.
1. The swings

**Note: I do not own the 'Life is Strange' game.**

Staring at the contraption with worn legs, squeaky chains and a seat that was practically falling apart and rocking gently over the ground, I can see an entire lifetime before me. The wind blows calmly through my brown hair and makes my top flap a little and my hands are dug into my jean pockets.

I reach out for the chains that hold the seat to the rest of the swing and sit down with my back facing the fence, pushing myself forward and backwards by gently swinging my feet, leaving them hanging above the ground, resting my hands on my lap. The squeaks of the chains against the metal bar at the top fill the air, each one sounding as if it were glad to be moving again in its proper way after having been left here for so long. To be honest, I _really_ doubt that Chloe has been using this since …

I sigh heavily with an equal feeling pulling on my heart. _If only you were still here, William._

The barbecue rested at the other end of the garden, its worn legs and cover a relic of time in itself. I was sure that they had never used it since Chloe's birthday a few weeks before we saw him for the last time. I smile at the memory running through my head, especially the comedic side of it when Chloe had eaten two burgers and decided to swing up and down on the swing as fast as she could and ended up throwing it all back up and got it over her trousers. Oh, we were laughing about it for days on end afterwards.

 _That all seemed so long ago, longer than_ four years _in fact._

As I raise my hands and grasp the chains of the swing I look up at the house, seeing the half-finished paint job on it. _Another relic, Max!_ If that was what I'd become in the last few minutes, seeing as I had thought the same of these swings and the barbecue, I should become an archaeologist! Ha! What a change this day has been. I go from sitting in Mr Jefferson's class to going back in time to almost getting into a fight with Nathan and running into Chloe and now I'm an amateur archaeologist. Just make me president and be done with it!

Still, as I examine it, the house's unfinished look makes it look like it's in a sad and depressed state. The cracks in the wood, the half-finished paint colour, the worn things in the back garden and the rubbish in the bins next to the gate to the back garden, the overgrown weeds and scattered cinder blocks all over the place. All of it is like some kind of copy of person who would give up on life and not care about their home or their things or even their own bodies. The house, having lost its owner, had done the same and still was.

 _What a way to focus on memories, Max! I should be a poet who writes depressing verses or feelings._

Another sigh. I should probably go back inside and get the tools to fix my camera. Chloe's not really going to come running down to look for me, she's too busy lying on her bed smoking a joint. But I really don't want to go back in, I'd rather stay out here for a little longer. Enjoy a little bit of nature.

When I think of her name, though, it brings back one of our more interesting conversations we had had years ago.

" _Hey Chloe, what do you truly want to do when you grow up?"_

" _Max, I'm already grown up! What about you?"_

I remember I closed my eyes in a dreamy kind of way and began to think of various places around the globe, though the only things that came into my head were the famous landmarks and buildings the countries had.

 _"Travel. That would be so awesome. Explore the whole world. Go far from here."_

After I said that, Chloe pouted playfully. _"Far from me? Thanks a lot, dude."_

I tittered at her words. _"Dude, you would totally come with me! I need a bodyguard for our adventures!"_

Chloe then smiled at this point, thinking of her 'hero'. _"I would be like Lara Croft, except real! That would be majorly cool!"_

I beamed. _"Totally, we would have cars and planes and boats hidden all around for instant escape!"_

I began to imagine us doing those sorts of things. Jumping into an Astin Martin called by remote control outside the White House; skydiving off the Petronas Towers in Malaysia; jumping into a speedboat in Shanghai or Sydney harbour; flying above the Amazon; skydiving into the Congo. It would be great.

" _And no adults could tell us what to do!"_

That would be the best part. Our parents said we were at that age, wanting to do our own thing and be a little rebellious and ambitious, but imagine it! If we could do those things, we would be the most badass pair in the world! It would be so cool!

I remember that Chloe smiled brightly at that. _"Count me in! What would you do while I was body guarding you?"_

I thought about it for a moment. I wanted it to be something that included _both_ of us. Something really special.

 _"I would take pictures of all our adventures. I would love to be a photographer."_ I remember sighing a little heavily at that point, feeling a little down about myself. _"As if I ever could be."_

Chloe rested her hand on my arm. _"Max, what are you talking about? You_ are _a photographer. I mean, your pictures could be in a museum. In fact, they will be someday. I believe in you."_

 _I believe in you_. I almost smirk sarcastically to myself. _If you did then, Chloe, you sure as hell_ don't _now!_

Would we ever be the same again? Before I moved, we were like sisters. When William died, she needed me and even said that I was really the only thing that made her hold onto hope and gave her the strength to move on. Now four years later and I'm back in Arcadia Bay, and yet she greeted me with real indifference like I was some kind of criminal.

 _Was it really my fault I didn't contact her?_

Maybe …

I sigh once again and get up from the swings and start back in the direction of the back door. Where are those tools?


	2. The Junkyard

Ah fresh air! What a sweet smell to fil my nose and lungs. Only problem was mixed in with it was the smell of junk and dirt like old cars falling apart, used syringes, rotting wood and plastic bottles and such. Still, being out here in the wild wasn't too bad, even if half of my vision is that of the aforementioned stuff.

As I lay back against the tree stump, I do begin to think of what's around me. Not that I'm ignorant to it, of course but … I just think of it a bit more than usual. The birds flying to and from the tree branches above and taking cover amongst the leaves, the sound of the wind rushing through the air, the movement of the grass in the breeze, the sound of the trains that would pass through here every now and then. I smiled to myself. Surround it with some more trees and take away the junkyard, it would be a good little hideaway.

 _I can imagine this being some kind of fantasy world here._

It was true. The setting was perfect for something along those lines like … oh, I don't know _Lord of the Rings_ or maybe something from Terry Pratchett. Or maybe a poet's work. _Oh great, more poetry, Max!_ As repetitive as poetry is in coming to mind when in these sorts of surroundings, it was still fitting. This small, quiet space between the forest on my right and the junkyard on my left. It was like some kind of barrier between them, as if it were marking the boundaries of how far each could go. Or even how far the forest had given way to man's leftovers. And here I am in the middle with a mixture of both. Two worlds connected by a tiny patch of green and grey.

As I shift a little and put my bag on the ground, I quickly check the number of bottles inside it. _One, two, three, four. Still need to find the last one._ I'm careful to gently put it next to me; if they break or crack Chloe will have a fit. That's the last thing I need to happen right now, seeing as we've only just re-established our friendship.

I exhale a little and look around me, taking in the two different landscapes. The junkyard was symbolic in a way; a sort of testament to man's rise into the modern world. Everything that couldn't adapt to it or was seen as impotent was tossed here. Society had thrown it here to grow rust and moss and be forgotten about. Well, not completely seeing as me and Chloe were here, and she and Amber had used it before as well. Still, wider society was not going to be in a rush to reclaim it. It would be too much of a hassle on their part so they just let it be.

Though … one had to admit its symbolism was rather close to the heart. I had never really paid attention a great deal in history when I was younger but one thing that did really intrigue me were the ruins of the Romans. I mean, today people just gawk at them and see them as just another fragment of the past that had survived until now. For me, though, it was a relic of a part of humanity that still held messages for us. Not the typical political _'Oh, our system of government failed so don't you do the same'_ or _'Treat people like this and do this to become one of us'_. No, it was more to do with that nothing lasts forever. I mean, they had become so great and then just fell … it really reflected what was in front of me right now. None of these had lasted very long and now here they were left to fall apart.

 _I guess that's what happens when people go beyond the limit appropriate for their time._

It was then I began to wonder. Was this to be a hint of the coming storm? Having the same dream twice in a row _and_ on the same day was more than a coincidence. Was it meant to warn me about Arcadia Bay going the same way as Rome? A monument of civilisation to be swept away by a force of nature? Probably. I personally wouldn't consider Arcadia Bay to be up to the same standards as Rome though but still … the connection between them was more than a coincidence at this current moment in time.

 _Current moment, Max? Wake up! You can bend time and space practically! It would be the same current moment as much as you wanted!_

The sound of a bird chirping made me look over to the forest and I saw a small blackbird let out another call before flying off into the branches of another nearby tree. I smiled at the sight. It was amazing how nature could soothe your emotions when they needed to be. The forest was just the perfect setting for some kind of meditation, for someone to re-establish the long gone connection with nature that man had cast off so far in the past. _I'm turning into a scientist now._

 _Still … I feel like the forest is whispering to me_. _I wonder what it's saying?_

Maybe trying to get me to ponder. That's all I really could do at the moment. Then again, it wasn't a bad thing. I mean, there's all sorts of things you could question or just observe. That doe for instance. Why was it here? And why did I see it in my dream? Also, why did I feel like it was trying to talk to me? Not literal chit chat. _Oh yes, I like it here in the woods. It's peaceful and I seem to like just popping up around you when I can. Though the hunters around here can be a real pain._

 _Very convincing and creative, Max_ I mentally told myself.

Still, Samuel's words were coming back to me. What he said about spirit animals and all. He said he was a squirrel so maybe … maybe mine is supposed to be a doe. That would be majorly cool! I smile a little to myself. Imagine what it would be like. Probably awesome, though I wouldn't want it to turn out like _Bambi_. God, that movie made me cry.

Though, what if the doe was a spirit of a past person? Maybe it was something to do with the Native Americans that used to live here over a hundred years ago. After all, their totem poles were scattered across the Blackwell campus. Plus, they were actually a part of the history of this area that I liked. Ha! Maybe it was because they were so connected to nature. If that was the case with this doe, then it looks like this was them repaying me for my interest in them.

 _So, you go from searching for bottles to comparing junk to Rome and then philosophising about nature and spiritualism. You must be fun to be around._ A voice in my head seemed to state with an air of sarcasm.

Well, it's good to ponder. Besides, it'll improve brainpower.

Another replied matter-of-factly.

I shift a little and steal another glance at the green pasture around me. My own little world. Not exactly up to the standard Alice would approve of, and certainly not as crazy, but hey … gotta start somewhere.

 _Starting somewhere_. That's what I had to do regarding this … power and dream I had. They were connected in some way, I knew they were, they just had to be! It was just going to take a while to figure out.

With a light groan, I get up off the ground and brush my butt clear of any dirt. _It was nice to ponder but now I need to find those bottles. Chloe's probably thinking I've been sucked into a wormhole or something._

Before setting off, I steal one more glance of the area around me. As ridiculous, and yet convincing as it sounds, I feel as if the doe is watching me from nearby. It's probably camouflaged or something; they are so good at being able to avoid being seen. If it is, I would love to be in its place just for a moment, just to see what it's like.

 _I'll find out what all of this means_ I mentally tell myself. _It'll just take time._

 _Time._ I just had to say that didn't I.


	3. Guitar solo

Shutting my bedroom door behind me, I heave a heavy sigh and dump my bag on the floor next to me bed. Finally! Some time to myself, or at least a little before I have to go meet Warren in the car park. I really want to just sit and do nothing or just chill and maybe go on my laptop. I want to catch up on some old cartoons, but if I don't then Warren'll never stop so ...

 _Best get searching for it!_ I go to step towards my desk to take a look but pause and look down at my guitar resting against the wall between the sofa and my shelves. It had been sitting there for the last month and I haven't used it. _What a waste_ my mum would say. When I was younger I didn't really take much notice but now that I'm a little older … I can kinda see where she's going with it.

 _Eh, Warren can wait five minutes. I'm gonna give it a try. Prepare for the windows to break._

I sit down on the sofa, grab the guitar and rest it on my knees. The unfamiliar pressure on them from its weight does begin to hurt a little since it's been so long but it's worth it. Even if I'm only gonna be using it for a few minutes.

Resting my fingers on the strings, I begin to play a little tune to myself, all the while looking around the room.

They say that you can tell quite a bit about a person by the contents of their room and how they've placed it. _Let's see how amazing Max Caulfield is!_

Let's see … a bed and a teddy bear on it … a link to my childhood?! Hmmm … Yeah, why not? After all, I don't know many people that _don't_ have something like that as a link to their younger years. What else? Ooooh, my lamp. Well, I do like my light! Haha! Then there's my mirror, my laptop, my desk and my books on photography. Wow! Max you _are really_ something! Oh, and how could I forget my plant (I'm starting to play a little more upbeat tune now). Anything else? Oh yes, my clothes. I look at the wardrobe and see that my tops and jeans and what have you. They're all quite plain and don't have much decoration on them … Huh!

My tune becomes a little slower now and my fingers start to use the lower sounding strings. What a way for the mood to change in a split second. Is that really all there is about me? I mean, it's not that I really care about my popularity; I'm not a publicity freak like Victoria. But still … is that all there is to me? Am I just plain with nothing special about me?

 _No, I can't be!_ Look at what happened earlier with that girl in the toilets. And then me pouring paint over Victoria just now. How can that _not_ be something incredible and unique about me? I could reverse time for crying out loud! There's no one else that can do that!

But … still, is _that_ the only reason why I'm special? Does this power of mine really make me special at all? Or does it make me like Carrie? Probably. If everyone knew about it (my playing of the guitar starts to slow down a little as I look down at the floor) then I'd probably end up like her. That's really something to look forward to it, hey?!

As I try and pick up my pace a little in playing the guitar, I start to wonder where this will lead me. Will it be something I have for the rest of my life? Or is it just a temporary thing? Either way, what does it mean? Surely I can't be chosen for some kind of experiment; after all there were no men in black lurking around or anything. What about some kind of genetic mutation? Wait, no! What am I, the Hulk?! A trick of nature or fate or something maybe?

 _That_ sounded like the most logical … or at least as logical as it could get.

I hit a bad note and it makes me cringe a little. _I hate it when that happens!_ With a little cough, I look up at the clock!

 _Oh shit!_ I put my guitar down on the sofa and quite literally jump over to my desk. Where is that damn flash drive?!

Wait, a note. _Hey girl. I borrowed your drive so I could some flix while I study. If you need it back, just track me down in my room_

 _XO XO D._

Dana. Well, looks like I'll have to go get it from her room.

As I go to leave, I look at my guitar and my mind goes over the last moments. It's quite amazing really how each note on the instrument could signal someone's mood. _Well, I did go through like three mood changes in the space of five minutes. That should be a record! I wonder if musicians who perform live or in studios think the same thing._

I pick it up and put it back in its place. That was a good little solo. I should do it again at some point in the future. Or the past. Or the present? Wait, what the hell am I even saying?!

 _Ah forget it!_ At least I can use it if I'm on stage in the future and I need to go back a few minutes and play something else to the crowd's liking. That's for sure.

 _So I'm a time travelling musician! What else can this day turn me into?_


	4. Midnight watch

Sneaking out at night was never really something I thought I would be doing, especially here at Blackwell where my place here was already strained. I doubt even me saving Kate today would work in my favour. _They always say not to push your luck!_ If only I listened to that more.

Silently, I step out into the warm night air, feeling its embrace on my cheeks and it light blow through my hair. I slowly close the door but it creaks loudly part of the way and I freeze with clenched teeth and wide eyes, staying still as a statue. _Chloe, if you get me kicked out of here, I'll push you off this roof myself!_

One second passes … two … well, no searchlights or alarm bells or dogs. I'm in the clear. Slowly, I push the door shut, the creaking having stopped thankfully. Ha! _Max the ninja strikes again!_ Ow to get to Chloe.

As I turn, however, I eye the bench near where I took a picture of the squirrel earlier. Even in the dim light of the lamp a few metres from it, it looked so … inviting. So peaceful, almost like it was some kind of peaceful zone that somehow … I don't know how to describe it, it just felt so much more soothing seeing it at night. Probably because they weren't as many people around. I start to think to myself: _Should I go and sit over there?_

 _Screw it!_ A few minutes more won't hurt Chloe, and the world won't end. Besides, I need to sit down and process my thoughts before going on with this.

I walk over to the bench and sit down on it, feeling a brief feeling of cold run through my body as my bottom hits the wood. I slip my bag off my shoulder onto the bench as I put my hands on my lap and stare at the scene around me.

I've never been that much of a night owl but man, I really wish I was because … it's just so peaceful and tranquil out here! There's no drama or problems and the calmness of the natural scenery just makes you feel like you're in your own little world. _Try and beat this, Alice!_ I internally smirk to myself, wondering how she would react. Brushing aside that mental comment, I think back to the beauty of it all. _It would be such a good picture to take!_

 _Oh great,_ more pictures, _Max!_ Why not just turn yourself into a camera? Though, on the other hand, that wouldn't be such a bad idea. If I'm a camera, I could talk like one of those inanimate objects from _Beauty and the Beast_. Ha! Imagine if Victoria picked me up and I said: _"Excuse me, do you mind!"_ Oh, her face would be priceless to catch on film. Best thing ever!

Putting my hands out behind me, I lean back a little and turn my head up at the sky, the cloud free blackness welcoming me with an array of stars that shined brightly like little nightlights. I exhale with a smile on my face. I don't know what is it, but it's just the very sight of the stars that makes me feel peaceful, like it's some kind of medicine that just makes your problems so much smaller than they actually are. Oh, if only I was an astronaut. I could fly around them and look down at the world. Or an alien even, yeah! No little green man, but a Little green Max! Ha, imagine that! It would be awesome! _Just as long as I don't end up like ET._

As I shift a little on the bench, the hoot of an owl from a nearby tree causes me to look up in its direction. It's too dark to see it, but I think that's a good thing. Not that I'm afraid of owls, I actually love them! It's just that because they nocturnal creatures, there's that air of mystery, and yet benign beauty about them that makes them so cool. I've only ever seen one up close and that was when I was little a long time ago and still lived here in Arcadia Bay. A huge owl was sitting on our fence and it looked at me as I walked outside to take out the trash. We just stared at each other for a good minute or so, our eyes locked in some kind of calm trance. Then, as if it were giving me a show, it spread its wings and flew off into down the road. I wanted to be an owl then and there and went on about it to Chloe for the next week or so.

 _Oh, Chloe!_ I go to stand up but decide against it. Two more minutes won't hurt.

I sit back down and gaze up at the stars once more as if they were calling to me and I was listening. I was just so entranced by them that I seemed to forget I was even sitting down for a moment, as if my body was going directly up to them, to be one of them and light up the night sky in all my glory. If they were sending any messages to me, I wonder what they would be? _Maybe proof of aliens, oooohhh!_ Seriously, Max, you and sci-fi!

 _I wonder if I can see any of the constellations_ I ask myself and begin searching the sky for them. But after a few moments, I give up. _Nope!_ Ah well, looking at them is good enough.

But as I look up at them again, I do begin to wonder if they had any answers to what was going on. Maybe they did. After all, man had been doing that for so long since the Ancient Greeks were around it was really just a part of our way of finding answers to that one big question; why are we here? Maybe it would be found, or opinions would be.

 _Philosophy!_ I mentally groaned to myself. _Not a particular point of focus but still … makes you wonder._

It certainly did make me wonder. Would I ever find out why this was happening? Hopefully. This power of time travel was not something that was given out like candy. There just had to be a reason for it. Maybe the stars held the answer, or maybe something down here on earth did. _Who knows …_ maybe _I_ had the answer.

My phone in my pocket vibrates loudly, snapping me out of my thoughts as I grab it and look at the screen. Another of Chloe's messages, wondering where I am.

I sigh and stand up, putting my bag around my shoulder. _Well, time to turn into Sherlock Holmes_ I say to myself. _Might as well make a cap and put a pipe in my mouth while I'm at it._


	5. The look in her eyes

**Greetings fellow FF readers and writers. I apologise for the lack of updates recently due to, again, university commitments. I have good news, however. With the arrival of the holidays, I have much more free time on my hands and my workload had decreased greatly. Over the course of the Easter I endeavour to complete this FF over Easter.**

 **So, without further ado, let's continue.**

* * *

With a light groan, I put my arm over my eyes to block out the rays of sunlight coming in through Chloe's window next to her bed. _Stupid sun, go back to bed!_ Even though I would usually be up and running at this time of the morning, the fiasco of last night still had me exhausted. I look over to my left and see Chloe asleep on her back with one leg placed over the other; eyes closed and quietly snoozing away peacefully. How sweet. It briefly reminds me of one our sleepovers from years ago. Huh! What a way a simple action can bring back great memories!

Speaking of bringing back memories, I internally curse myself for what I did last night. It was fun, I admit, but still. We only just avoided getting our asses caught by Blackwell security.

 _I suppose I should say it serves me right_. I did break into the Backwell Academy pool after all; not exactly a guilt free activity.

 _Well, I needed to let off some steam and enjoy myself for once,_ especially _after the week I've had!_

 _Oh great, my mind and conscience are at war again! What a great way to start the day!_

I lift myself up from Chloe's bed, peering down over the side to the floor below. Through some of her clothes tossed aimlessly across her room, I could make out my camera. From what I remember of last night, we had literally just run inside whilst David was out on his shift and Joyce was asleep. How we managed not to bring the police, or even worse Joyce down onto us was beyond me. But I wasn't complaining!

 _Your ninja skills strike again, Max!_ Cute.

I reach down and grab hold of my camera and hold it out in front of me. I always take an opportunity to snatch a photo, especially one like this with my best friend sleeping right next to me.

 _Always remember this moment!_ I sure as hell will.

"Photobomb!" an all too familiar voice cheerfully erupts behind me.

Oh, Chloe!

"Photo-hog!" I reply with a smirk and take the picture and set the camera back on the floor whilst Chloe turns on her side, propping her head up with one arm.

"It feels like a different world from yesterday." I say to her as I glance around the room as if trying to assert my feeling, as if I really were in a new world.

Chloe gives a light giggle. "Totally! We left a skid-mark on Blackwell last night."

Now it's my turn to giggle. Oh yes, what a way to summarise it, Chloe! A skid-mark. That's so you! "Like it needs another one!" shooting her a look that made her smile cheekily like a naughty schoolgirl.

But as I look away, I do begin to wonder about last night, and the other things that have happened this week. I mean, I've poured paint on Victoria, seen pictures of Kate getting smashed at a party, been threatened by Nathan that led to him and Warren getting into a fight, snuck out at night, used a gun and broke into Blackwell pool! _Am I missing anything here! WW3 perhaps?!_

 _Oh wait,_ and _I've gotten involved with a drug dealer who may end up cutting my heart out and beating the living shit out of Chloe! A_ dangerous _drug dealer, I might add._

Now of course, my conscience, and Chloe if she could read my mind, will start telling me: _Oh but Max, you're a good person! You saved Kate and Chloe! You've also brought all this Blackwell trouble to the principal's office! You've done good!_

However true that may be, it doesn't really condone me for any wrongdoings I do after. It's just not right to do what I've done. And what about my work? I haven't even submitted my photo for Mr Jefferson yet! _Some photographer, Max!_

As I look back at Chloe, a look of guilt clearly etched onto my face, I can tell she instantly knows how I feel.

"I'd like to, no … I want to do something good for my school and Arcadia Bay." I tell her. "Like with my work. I haven't even submitted my photograph for the contest yet."

Chloe smiled back at me reassuringly. "Every artist has to get rejected before they get accepted, Max." she told me. "So you have to submit a photo."

I roll my eyes. Chloe, always the one to offer advice. Still, it helps that she's listening. It's not like anyone else around here would.

"Even though I'm pimping the school and town you so want to torch?"

It's then I see a bit of a pained look come into her eyes, making me instantly regret my words. It reminded me of when … well, William-

"C'mon, Max, I don't mean shit like that when I say it." She told me with a sad tone. "I say it because I've been trying to get outta here since …" she paused, her eyes briefly looking down at the bed as if to try and hide the sad feeling that burnt within them. "Since you left basically."

Now it's my turn to look away, feeling the guilt come up within me once again like bile rising in my throat. I start to tell myself that I've pretty much ruined Chloe's life because I moved away to Seattle for five years. That one look in her eyes told me that clearly and simply. _What kind of friend are you, Max?_ _Dumping your best friend like that._

 _Was it really my fault?_ I reminded myself, trying to ease the guilt. _I mean, it's not like I had a choice with my parents._

 _Still …_ Chloe's been upset since I left, literally only a few weeks after her dad died. I mean, even though it's clearly not really my fault, I still can't help but feel responsible for her being this way. Joyce did say to me in the café yesterday that I was helping Chloe go back on the right track. _Was that supposed to mean it was my fault for letting her derail in the first place?_

I hear Chloe turn over on her side again, though as I look I see her facing the other way reaching over her side of the bed for something. Even though it's just a brief action, it feels like her turning her back on me is a summing up of how she feels towards me, even if on the surface she is all happy and giddy.

"If I could find Rachel and then pay Frank off, I'd be ready to leave and start a whole new life." She held her arm up to her stereo and I saw the remote to it in her hand. She switched it on and a soft tune began to play in the background. Fitting, really fitting.

"We could explore the world like we always wanted." I ask her with a smile, turning to look at her and meet her eyes.

Chloe tittered a little. "Without a doubt," she replied as she laid back down on her back, resting one arm behind her head as a pillow, and looked up at the ceiling, lost in thought. "I wish we could hang out all morning like we used to." She said longingly.

I had to admit, that was a good idea. My mind instantly goes back to when we were twelve years old. We would have sleepovers _all the time_! We would stay up late and talk about … well, anything. We would paint each other's fingernails, watch movies, eat junk food. Just about anything! Or at least either Joyce or William came up and told us to go to bed, like he did once when we had decided to turn Chloe's bed into a wrestling arena. Ha! Apparently, we were making enough noise to 'wake the dead' to quote William. It was worth it.

The best part about those nights, though, were me and Chloe being together. We spent so much time together, it just felt great being with my best friend. And every time was even more amazing because we were … well, there for each other. _Always there for each other_.

 _If only we could go back._ I mentally say to myself with a sad look. _Shame really, we could go back and surprise our younger selves. Have the greatest party ever._

Chloe shifting a little as the sound of the music floated through the air brought me back to reality. I looked at the clock and saw it was gone nine. Nearly ten. I let out an internal sigh. _Well, back to the real world._

"I suppose we should get up. I have to get back to Blackwell." I tell Chloe and she gave a light laugh.

"Another test today maybe?" she asked.

I roll my eyes again. "I feel like with what's happened this week, just _going_ to school is gonna be a test." I reply, looking down at her and she up at me. "And we still have to be careful about my power and how I use it. I don't wanna get stuck in time."

Chloe sat up and gave me a nudge, looking at me with quite a serious look in her eyes this time. "Hey, no matter what happens, you'll have me with you. I'll be your partner in time."

I can't help but smile at her. _Just like when we were younger_. She would always be there for me, and I was happy for it.

"Thanks, Chloe." I reply, looking deeply into her blue eyes. I was practically captivated by them, they were so beautiful. I almost felt myself leaning in and … wait! Max, stop! What the hell is wrong with you!

Quickly, I looked away and got up from the bed, stretching my body as much as I could. _Nice to get my body back into its proper feeling again._ I walk over to my clothes on Chloe's chair and grab one of them when a foul smell hits my nostrils.

 _Oh, God! What the hell is that smell!_ I mentally cry out and withdraw, dropping it on the chair, a disgusted look on my face.

"Chlorine?" I hear Chloe ask from her bed.

"Yeah, no doubt!" I reply, waving away the smell as if someone had let their dog take a shit in front of me. "Like a factory. I can't wear that!"

Chloe giggled. "Yeah, I don't suppose you'll impress Warren smelling like you got out of a pool."

I tittered in reply. "Definitely," I said as I looked at Chloe and put a mock expression of thinking on my face. "Maybe I should try saltwater smell. That would work."

Chloe faked a surprised expression, her blue eyes lighting up a room. "Oooohh, yes! Great idea, Max. That'll be the new rage. I guarantee it." She said and nodded over to her wardrobe. "See if you can find a suitable outfit in my fashion hole."

I smile. "Thanks." And walk over to her wardrobe, opening it and looking inside.

Wow, Chloe wasn't kidding when she said Rachel had a certain rock girl taste to her. Some of her clothes were awesome, much better looking than my simple style. Heck, even Victoria couldn't match up to this! I actually start to feel a little nervous.

 _Wearing these clothes might end up with me bastardising them! I mean, I'm not Rachel after all._

"You see anything you like?" Chloe asked, walking up to me and putting her hand on my shoulder.

I turn my head to her. "All of it but …" I pause. "I'm not sure if I would be a great look in them."

She thumped me on the shoulder. "Stop second guessing yourself, Max. Just put 'em on and let your inner rock girl come out." She encouraged me. "You can take the risk."

"Are you sure?" I ask her questioningly.

She beamed at me. "Without a doubt. You have to take a few dares." Then a mischievous look came onto her face. "For example, I dare you to kiss me!"

I must've hit a brick wall because it felt that way as I turned to look at her face, the mischievous glint in her eyes visible without any microscope or telescope or whatever. _What! Did she just … What!_

"What?" I managed to splutter out.

Her smile grew even wider as she raised an eyebrow. "I double dare you. C'mon, Max. Kiss me now."

The next couple of seconds was a blur. I don't know how I did it but I stepped forward and planted a big one right on her lips. How did it happen? How could I do that? Not that it was immoral or anything, but just … how? I saw Chloe's eyes shoot open as she retreated in response, a look of  
complete surprise on her face. I was actually amazed at myself. That look in her eyes, I could see she was enjoying it.

"W-wow, Max!" she said, clearly aghast but in a good way. Then she smiled a huge smile. "You're hard core, Max! Now I can text Warren and tell him he hasn't a chance!" She turned and walked over to the bed but stopped and looked over her shoulder at me and gave me a wink and a fake seductive look. "Unless he's into girl on girl action, if ya know what I mean." She added.

Again, I found myself rolling my eyes, though a part of me did begin to wonder what it must feel like to have that kind of sexual nature. It was crazy, yeah but still.

 _Maybe … just maybe … me and Chloe could …_

 _Just a thought, right?_


	6. Book, bed, bound

As I'm sitting here on this chair, I can only ask myself: _What the fuck have I done?!_

I ruined time. I ruined everything! Chloe in the old timeline wasn't perfect; at times even a real pain in the ass but still … she could at least _walk_ and talk without straining her body beyond what it could handle! As much as I questioned myself for saying it, even her occasional snaps in my direction are something I miss. It's not that I don't appreciate her attitude towards me now but … It just breaks my heart when I look at her.

And that's what I do now. Looking at Chloe as she lies in her bed with her eyes closed and her covers right up to her shoulders, I can't help but feel that she looks so peaceful … almost as if she's some kind of new-born. _Huh! What a to think, Max!_ She's lying here practically dying, I could see it even if I didn't take a peek at the medical bill forms. You really are depressing!

 _Well, what else can I do?!_ I mentally say to myself in a sort of counter-argument mood.

What could I do? I've screwed up time and look at what's happened. Chloe was permanently paralysed in a car crash; I'm friends with that psycho, Nathan Prescott, and that stuck up cow, Victoria; Chloe's family are in debt; I've turned snappy and rude towards my mother and … and …

William. He was alive. Wasn't that a cause for happiness? After all, I had saved him from death and given Chloe back the dad she loved so much, Joyce the husband she loved and myself the sort of second father I used to look up to. If Chloe or even Joyce had this power, they would have done _anything_ to have him back. I mean, who wouldn't? He was the father any kid would have dreamed of having and the husband a wife would kill to have. Wasn't that a good thing for me to have done?

 _I really don't know._

Ah! Great, now you're doubting yourself even more than necessary, Max! Nice job! I sigh heavily and look around Chloe's room, taking in all the high tech gear mixed in with the everyday items one would find in a household. The heart monitor, the wheelchair, the spool on her desk, the TV, the machine that let her breath with ease, the bedside cabinet with the lamp, the photo next to her lamp smiling in front of her car on the day she passed her test and got one as a reward. The open book of photos on her lap. All of the high tech gear looked really expensive, which normally most kids would die to have but … I just felt like it held a real dark message. That with me altering time like this, I had cursed Chloe into her being practically bed ridden and slowly dying and … and … stuck in this near hospital-like room like Kate Marsh was … or, I should say _would have_ been if I hadn't screwed everything up.

 _Wow, way to beat yourself up, Max!_ I tell myself as I look back at Chloe, seeing her eyes flicker as she gradually opened them and stared ahead of her at the wall as if in a trance-like state. It really hurt me to see her like that. I couldn't believe that I had reduced her to … to this! _Fuck, Max, what have you done!_

With a light groan, Chloe turned her head towards me, her eyelids heavy as if they weighed a thousand pounds and her mouth forming into a small smile. I saw, though, that such small movements to someone like me, requiring practically no effort, felt like climbing a mountain to Chloe. It hurt me, it really did.

"H-hey … Max." she said weakly, her voice cheerful after having woken up from her nap.

I smiled back, having to hold back the tears that threatened to pour like a waterfall. One thing I was happy about in this timeline was that even though Chloe was bed-ridden, she was still able to smile as if she meant it. As if she didn't feel insecure, like how Joyce told me she always did in the diner the other da- I mean, in another timeline days ago. _Nice way to confuse yourself!_

"Hey, you okay, Chloe?" I ask her.

She let out a light noise of affirmation and slowly, turned her head so she was facing ahead of her again, letting out a relieved gasp when she stopped. So much just to twist her head … it was just pure proof that she was … dying.

I look up past Chloe and gaze out of her slightly open window. In this new room of hers, despite it being practically like a hospital room for patients, it did have one upside. The window faced the garden and with the neighbour's tree hanging over the edge of the fence the autumn colours shone in all their brilliant glory. The bushes too on this side of the fence also showed signs of entering their autumn phase. Even though I had a good thirty feet between myself and the nearest one outside I could see traces of brown and red on them. The sounds of birds chirping echoed throughout the room too and a blackbird hopped from one of the lower branches in view of the window to another out of sight. Despite the scenery I was in right now, I couldn't help but feel … a little at peace.

 _Mother Nature is always there to nurse your feelings and wounds. No doubt the greatest doctor there is._

Looking down at Chloe, I could see she felt the same way. I glance down to the photo book again, taking in the many snapshots of the past when we had spent time together all those years ago. Each one reminding me of when I hung out with my best friend. Her birthday party on the swings (It's a shame they weren't outside anymore but at least we had this photo to remind us of that); her birthday cake from the following year; us having a sleepover at my house; relaxing on the beach … I smile to myself. _Something good at last for me to look at in this sea of darkness I trapped myself in._

"Max, c-can I talk to you about something?" she spoke up, struggling to do so.

I nodded, slightly surprised by her words. _Why hadn't she done so in the first place? We were best friends after all! Just because I went away for five years didn't mean out friendship was over and done with._

"Of course, anything." I reply, moving my seat closer to her as if to accentuate my words.

Chloe let out a weak breath and spoke, her voice barely going above a whisper. "Listen, Max, it's my respiratory system. It's failing on me and … it's only getting worse."

The moment those words hit me … I felt like my life had been sucked out of me. _Oh no!_

"I've heard the doctors talking about it when they thought I was zonked out on the medication," She continued with a sad tone. "I'm just … putting off the inevitable."

Already, I can feel the tears staining my eyes as I take in Chloe's words.

"Max, for a long time I wanted to feel the happiness I had when we were young and … running around Arcadia Bay together again like when we were young." She paused and looked down at the book as if replaying the happy times each photo held in her head again. It was definitely having an effect on her because the tears were becoming visible in her eyes. "Seeing you today has made me feel special and so happy!"

I couldn't control myself anymore and the tears begin to fall, marking my jeans and reddening my cheeks as I looked up at Chloe. Several lines of tears were already falling down her face but she pressed on.

"Max, I want you to help me. I want this to be my last memory; me sitting with you."

I felt my heart freeze at that point, her words hitting me as if, rather morbidly, _I_ had been struck by a car. _How awkward, yet tragically ironic at the same time._

"Chloe, I … I can't!" I knew what she wanted me to do, but I just couldn't go through with it. "I can't do it!"

"Max," Chloe said, her voice weak but the pleading was clearly evident. "Please, I want this to be _my_ choice. I don't want anyone to stop me from being free now. All you have to do is crank the IV up to eleven. It'll be quick and painless."

I shook my head a little; my eyes by now crying a river. "I-I can't, Chloe! Please!" I begged her. "If there was someone else who could help you, they would. You can't just do this."

Chloe sniffed, wishing she could wipe away the tears. "I'm sorry, Max. I-I want you to be the last thing I see. Please … It'll make me happy, just like when we were little."

I had to hold myself from choking out a sob. I just couldn't comprehend the words Chloe was saying to me. It was so … so unfair. I felt so helpless! What could I do? Anything so I wouldn't have to do this! I-I wanted the old timeline back! Please!

"I'll just close my eyes and drift off to sleep, dreaming of us sitting here forever." She whispered to me, putting one last smile on her face.

The next few moments were a blur to me. I don't know how I mustered up the strength or courage to stand up and walk over to the machine and cranked the number up to eleven. The moment my hand released it, I felt something heavy clash against my heart and I literally fell back into my seat, looking over at Chloe with a tear stained face, asking her mentally: _Why?_

"I'm so proud of you for following your dreams, Max." she managed to whisper as her eyelids began to flicker and her head gradually cocked to one side. "I want you to know I love you so much." Her eyes shut and her breathing quietened to nothing as she said one last sentence to me.

"See you around."

Her mouth hung open and her breathing ceased, her body going limp. Above me, I heard the all too familiar noise of the line on the machine emitting a continuous **BEEEEEEEEEEEEEPPPPPPP**.

I buried my heads in my hands, tears literally pouring from my eyes and hitting the floor. _What have I done?!_

As I sat there a complete mess, one part of me did begin to think:

 _With this book and bed being huge parts of Chloe's life, both in this timeline and the original one …_ _was she … bound to fate?_

 _Was she meant to die?!_


	7. Rage

_Uuuuggghh! Ch-chloe! Chloooeee! No!_

My vision was blurry, my head hurt like hell and my stomach felt weak. Oh, I feel like I've just been to a party and gotten so smashed on alcohol. I tried to push myself up from the floor, one that feels like leather, but my arms felt like they were going to give out at any moment, like my heart was going to suddenly stop beating and I would be left a numb, still wreck! Oh God! What was happening to me?! What was happening?!

It gradually came back to me. Me and Chloe … we left the party … The junkyard! We found something there earlier that day and … Nathan! Victoria! No, no we stopped them! We dug up Rachael's grave and … and … someone was coming. Chloe got out her gun and … that _**pop**_ **.** No! No! Chloe hit the ground! She was _dead!_ No! No! NO! CHLOE!

It's then I feel a surge of cold shoot up my arm from whatever kind of floor I'm lying on. I look down and, in my blurry and out of focus vision, I see I'm on some kind of mat. It's then I notice a blinding light shining down on me from a light placed in front of me. Behind me was a white screen and next to that another light that shone on me from behind. I looked around and saw I was I some huge room, like a _really_ big room. Bigger than _my_ room or Chloe's front room put together. It was … wait!

Somebody was talking. Yeah … I could … I could hear him, it was man. Someone else replied to them! Now I knew it was two people. What were they saying? I looked in the direction their voices were coming from and I could make out two figures, one sitting on the edge of the sofa, the other standing in front of the first. From what I could deduce in my drugged state, the one sitting was a male and the other was a female. Were they here to rescue me? _Oh God, I hope so. Please!_

"I think you'd be perfect for my new photo series on retro-grunge."

Jefferson! _Him!_ He was the one who attacked me and killed Chloe! Now it was all coming back to me, _he_ was the one who was behind all this. Rachael's disappearance, the behaviour of Nathan, Kate Marsh nearly killing herself, Frank and Rachael being close and Chloe dyi-

I pause and run that through my head a second time, though it felt as if I had just remembered it. _Chloe._

"Max is a fucking child, Mr Jefferson. Don't worry about her."

All of a sudden, my peripheral vision becomes clear and before me, one sitting on the sofa and the other standing in front of him, is something I literally cannot believe.

Mr Jefferson was sitting on the side of a white sofa about ten feet in front of me and in front of him doing all sorts of poses as if she were some pole dancer was … was … C-Chloe! For a moment, my heart leapt with joy. _She was alive! Oh thank God, she's alive. Now I can get outta he-_ I froze.

 _Why is she doing that in front of him?_ I ask myself mentally as I watch her shift her hips from side to side, each time turning her head as if she were trying to focus on a different part of the room each time. When she looked in my direction, I caught sight of a smug look on her face as if she was saying _Betcha didn't know I was so good too!_ And not in a playful teasing way but in a way that looked as if she was trying to act like Victoria. As if she was trying to act like she was better than me. I was so puzzled at her body language and facial expressions. Why was she doing this?

A loud click filled the air in the room, followed by Mr Jefferson's voice again. "Oh Christ, I know she is. And she ever shuts up does she?"

I shook my head at the scene, trying to deny that this was actually happening! No, it couldn't be! It can't! Not ever! Chloe wouldn't say those things about me, even after all we'd been through! No! She can't be working for that monster! She can't be swaying her hips and holding poses like a stripper for Mr Jefferson to take photos of her like she was some kind of expendable item, like a slab of meat on display.

I look back at her and she turns her head in my direction and gives a 'humph' as if to say: _See, even your teacher crush thinks_ I'm _better than you!_

"I'm so over her hipster bullshit! Aren't you?" Chloe said to Mr Jefferson in a tone that sounded as if she knew I was in the room and she wanted to insult me as best she could.

Another click. "Oh I think everyone at Blackwell is, Chloe," he replied. "Let's prove it, shall we?"

Chloe glanced back at me one more time and gave a smirk of superiority. "Yeah, let's."

 _No! No! Chloe!_

A blinding white flash filled the room and I instinctively shut my eyes to block it out. It worked. I opened them again about a second later … they were gone! Chloe and Mr Jefferson were gone. I felt a little relieved as I tried to begin to process what was going on. What was happening? Why was Chloe saying those things about me? I thought I was her best friend. How could she?

"Damn, Warren. Max is trying to play us both!"

Chloe. I look to my right and there she is, only this time she was in her black PJ shirt with … no trousers or shorts on! It looked like she had just gotten up from bed! Why was she wearing that all of a sudden instead of her normal attire? How did she get changed so quickly?

"I guess she's not as innocent as she acts." A familiar male voice replied, only I knew it was not Mr Jefferson's.

In front of her was … Warren! My sci-fi obsessed friend, still in his normal shirt and jeans and trainers. His black eye was still visible. Damn, that looked like it hurt even after a few days! He was standing in front of Chloe, staring at her with a look of amazement in his eyes and his body swaying a little on his feet. Was he drunk? He didn't sound it when he spoke just now.

Wait … Oh no!

"Yeah, Max is nothing more than a sneaky little snake," Chloe said, making Warren chuckle. "Especially when she's trying to hook up with both of us. What a bitch!"

Warren gave a laugh, one of his laughs that I knew instantly because he would always give it when he found something to be funny. And he found … _this?!_ He found this funny?!

 _How could you, Warren?_ I mentally cried at him. I would have done had I not been so drugged out of my head. _How could you!_

"You got that right. Look at what I took for her!" He pointed to his black eye. "And I got nothing, not even a hug from her! So unappreciative!" he paused for a moment and ran his eyes over Chloe's body, taking in her curves and face. She seemed to notice this because she raised her hip a little and put her hand on it as if to say to him: _Like what you see?_

"Now you on the other hand," he said to Chloe, taking a step closer to her and wrapping an arm around her. " _You_ are so much better. I only wanna go ape with you, Chloe." He told her in a voice that was just above a whisper and able for me to hear it. _He's probably doing it intentionally!_

Chloe responded by leaning her head towards him and locking their lips together, putting a hand behind his head and pushing it towards her to deepen the kiss. Their tongues began to wrestle. Warren put his hand lower, lower to her ass and…

Ugh! I looked away, trying to block it all out of my mind. _It's not real!_ I tell myself. _Get a fucking grip, Max! It's not real!_

Or was it?

"Goddamn, you are one sexy girl, Chloe. Why would you hang around with Max?"

"Boredom."

No! I don't want to. I really don't want to look! It can't be. Please.

I force myself to and I was so flabbergasted to see … Nathan sitting on the sofa in front of me! Chloe was next to him, back in her everyday attire. Both of them were looking in my direction, their faces fixed on me in mocking expressions. Chloe especially looked like she was enjoying this. When I looked up at them, she gave me a nasty smirk and spoke up again.

"Plus, Max is my personal puppet. She'll always feel sorry for when I snap at her, even when it's my fault. Little baby."

Nathan chuckled. "Nice. Hey, do you wanna party?" he suggested. "I got some more stuff in my room, if you know what I mean?" he added emphasis on the last part and Chloe smiled, giving him a look of interest.

"I certainly do, Prescott." She replied, then suddenly snapped her head back in my direction, the nasty smile once again evident on her face. "Oh look, Max is spying on us! We're busted," she said in a sarcastic tone.

Nathan turned to look at me and chuckled nastily. "What a girl, huh! Always snooping around, sticking her nose where it's not wanted."

"Damn right!" Chloe replied. "Hey Max, remember this?!" She stuck her middle finger up at me in an offensive way. "Take one of your little selfies! Low-life!"

Another flash of light suddenly blinded me, forcing me to look away. As I did though, my mind processing all of what had been said and what I had seen, I began to feel something rising within me. Something I couldn't control, but … I didn't want to.

"Hey Max!" came Chloe's voice again and I looked back to see her standing on the sofa now with nothing but her … _underwear!_ Oh God, she really _was_ turning out to be a stripper!

Somebody chuckling next to her made me turn my head to see-no! Victoria?! How … b-but … How! How was it possible?! She couldn't be! No! She was supposed to be lying on the floor next to me, or … dead. How could she be sitting there acting as if nothing was wrong?

"See this, Max?" Chloe's voice drew me back to her again, her hips swaying and her arms waving around her. "This is how you bust a move, Max. No mosh pit for you, shaka brah!"

Victoria giggled. "Oh, Chloe, you're so funny and I love your moves!" she awed.

Chloe smiled down at her and jumped back into the seat next to Victoria, wrapping her arms around her and pulling her close to her body in a seductive way. Victoria responded likewise, putting a leg over Chloe's and placing an arm around her on her back. She seemed impressed, even taken completely by surprise by this move.

"Damn, Victoria!" my blue haired friend said. "You're one woman, and I mean a _real woman!_ "

Victoria smiled. "Thanks, Chloe. You're good looking too. I'm surprised no one took you already. Well, their loss. Now I have you all to myself!"

Chloe shrugged, shooting me another smug look. _Even your enemy thinks I'm better than you!_

"I do try. And you're not a little girl, like Max!" she said to the blonde haired girl in front of her.

Victoria chortled. "Damn right! Wow, I fucking love your tats, Chloe. You're so hot."

"Thanks. Y'know," Chloe nodded her head in my direction; Victoria looking over and smiling at me evilly. _How typical!_ "We have an audience. Why not show her how close we really are."

Victoria seemed to like this because she leaned in closer to her. "I think I'd like that very much Chloe."

The two leaned in close and kissed, their tongues battling for dominance and legs intertwining, as were their fingers. Chloe pushed Victoria onto the sofa and sat on top of her, holding her close whilst never breaking free of the kiss.

This time, I just stared. Not because I was turned on, fuck no! It was … I just couldn't believe it! I tried not too! No … Chloe was … She couldn't be doing this to me!

I felt it once again, only this time it was much stronger. My hands began to clench and my heart began to rapidly beat. Not out of exhaustion but … it was …

Somebody else appeared in front of me. I looked up and literally gasped as I saw Chloe standing, no … sitting in front of me. This was alternate Chloe, where she had had her neck broken in a car accident and her dad had survived. Her long natural blonde hair hung down cascaded down her back and her eyes glared down at me with a look of absolute distaste. However, because she was stuck in her chair and paralysed from the waist down, that was all she could do.

"I can't believe you Max," she said to me irritably, looking away as if she could not even bring herself to look me in the face. "Why did you get rewind powers, you don't even know how to use them!"

A pause as I looked up at her pleadingly, as if I were a soul begging God for forgiveness. I tried to speak but she stopped me by looking at me and uttering in a disgusted tone.

"Some friend you are, Max. Rachel is dead and you're still alive." A sigh and a light shake of her head. "Life is strange, Max. Strange because it's so not fair."

Another flash and this time the real Chloe was back and standing over me, though this time she was holding a camera and taking pictures of me. _Click! Click! Click!_

"Feel familiar, Max?" She asked me rhetorically. "Oh yeah, _Go fuck your selfie!_ " she mimicked me mockingly and took another picture and then looked at me with a big glare on her face. "Y'know, I wish you had never come back to Arcadia Bay. _You_ , Max Caulfield, are the real storm!"

That did it for me. I tried to resist the words of Chloe and everyone else who had come before but each time they hammered away at an already weakening wall of resistance. Now … now it was broken. I looked down at the floor, tears stinging my eyes. _Why, Chloe, why? Why are you doing this to me?! I thought we were best friends, it's not my fault I left Arcadia Bay! It's not my fault I let William die! It's not! IT'S NOT!_

It was then I realised that the feeling inside of me had not gone away. I felt it coarse through my veins, touching every fibre of my body, releasing its power into my blood, my heart, my brain, my very feelings and emotions. It was … hatred. And I liked it.

"You hear me, Max?" Chloe snapped at me. " _You are the storm!_ " she snarled at me.

I looked up at her, my hatred finally giving me my voice back as if it were some kind of liberating touch.

"The storm, Chloe?" I repeated, my tone dark sounding and full of rage. It must have had an effect because a look of pure fear suddenly stretched across her face and she took a step back. "I'm the storm, you say? Well then, let me tell you this: I'll let you be blown away and torn to smithereens by the tornado out there."

Chloe's face became more agitated, even panic-stricken as I spoke, as if I were the devil himself speaking. To be honest, I kinda expected my voice to be real deep and demonic-like.

" _I wanna see Arcadia Bay turned to glass, you say_!" This time I mimicked her voice in a mocking tone. "Well, you got your wish!"

Chloe shook her head at me in disbelief. I actually found myself smiling a little. Now she knew how I felt by her words.

By now I could feel the hatred and rage flowing through me freely, under no will but its own, and I was under no will but its own too. And, as horrible as it sounded, right now I wanted to feel this way. After everything I've done and the cold shoulder I got from Chloe from the moment I got here; the abuse from David; Victoria and her friends being such bastards; Warren being a pain in the ass; Nathan being a prick and nobody at the school believing me when I tried to stop a murder … who _wouldn't_ feel this way?

 _I guess that old Chinese proverb I remember hearing once at a restaurant in Seattle years ago:_ "A spark can start a fire that burns the entire prairie," _was coming true with me now._

Another white flash surrounded me, and I could only wonder who it would face me with next.


	8. Time out

Now I'm … standing? What the fuck! And why does it feel damp on the floor, and cold too. Like the showers at Blackwell Academy pool or a bathroom. The flash is fading and I'm scanning my surroundings like a gazelle out on the savannah, my eyes searching the grass for any sign of a lion or hyena or whatever else it is that hunts me. _What an allegory, Max._ I think I'm starting to realise why people like Tolkien hated that sort of thing.

The light is fading. I'm scanning my surroundings as I see them come into view. A really damp, wet and smelly stench fills my nose. Ugh! Where am I going next, where am I … oh.

I'm in a toilet, a girl one considering there are no male urinals. In front of me is the sink with a huge mirror and behind me to my left are two toilet cubicles and at the opposite end of the room is a blank wall, which is tiled, along with the floor. Near the back right corner of the room is a door … with a keypad?

 _Why is there a keypad?_ I ask myself, walking over to it and examining it. _Well, there's no trap door button, or something that will make the room explode._ I suddenly start to feel a little hopeful when I think of another reason for it possibly being there. "Maybe it's a way out." I mumble.

It has to be! I mean, there's no other way for me to leave this room. I can't shrink down and crawl out through a crack or break down the wall. I doubt even my time travelling ability will work considering how I got here in the first place. _Oh, I just wanna get outta here_. First I just have to enter in the code, whatever it is.

 _Hmm … maybe something random._ I type in 5382. BEEP! Red light appears on the front. Damn. Obviously not that one. What could it be?

 _Maybe my year of birth?_ I type it in: 1995. BEEP! _Ah, damn it!_ It still won't open. I give the door a kick, hoping to try and break it open a little but it's as firm as a brick wall. I sigh angrily, hitting the door with my fist to try and vent out my frustration. Aside from revolving around the anger raging in my head, my mind began to focus on one thing: _How do I get out of here_.

I decided I need to splash some water on my face to pull myself together. _Huh, what a way to link the past and the present … or the past and this future or something like that … oh, whatever!_ I walk over to the sink and turn the tap, cupping my hands below it. Water filled my palms and I splashed it onto my face, feeling a little soothed as if I were a churchgoer 'cleansing' themselves from sin with holy water. I looked up in the mirror to tell myself to pull myself together … and froze.

 _What the fuck?!_

All over the walls were numbers, random groups of numbers, four to each one. I looked all around me. They were literally everywhere, on the cubicle doors, the walls, the door that exited the room, between the mirror and the corners of the room. My heart began to race as I took in the multitude of them. _How many of them were there?_

"So many!" I muttered to myself in a rising panicked voice. "How do I get out of here? How do I find the right one?"

I turned and rushed back over to the keypad and randomly typed in a code, the number being from the wall next to the door: 6783. BEEP! Red light. Ah, damn it! Okay, how about this one? I type in one on the cubicle door: 4291. BEEP! Red light again. _NO!_ I typed in a third: 9924. _What a surprise, it doesn't let me through!_

I let out a cry of frustration and gave the door another hard kick with my foot. Why is this happening to me? Why did I have to get this power? Why did I have to find Chloe in the bathroom of the academy? Why did I have to get so caught up in this stupid mystery?! _Why?!_ It's not fair!

It's then I start to ask myself how much I was in control of all this. _Was I after all?_ Five days ago, it would seem like I was some kind of demi-god that could bend time and determine the very fate of myself and people around me. I still remember being so hyped up about it, and so was Chloe. _I pledge allegiance to Max and the power that she has!_ I should have just started a fucking cult then and there. _World domination! What a fuck up I've been there!_

I sigh heavily and look at the room around me to try and really scrutinise any of the random patterns of numbers. It's here I even notice them on the ceiling. What a surprise! _What is the, The Grudge?_ If it is, I'd rather be with Kayako than stuck in here. At least she'll get me out of here, even if she will try and kill me. I wonder how she would do it. Come through the wall? Probably. Coming out of the toilet? Ha, I think so, just don't spray me with shit or toilet water. The mirror. Now that was the most likely one, and the most creepy too. Makes you wonder if someone is watching you from some kind of alternate reality, like that creepy video of that Japanese girl in her room on the Internet.

It's then I notice something in the mirror. _No, it wasn't a pair of eyes or a head or someone staring back at me._ It was … the walls and the ceiling and what have you in the mirror, they were … Clear. Completely clear as if nothing was written on them. I march over to it and look into the mirror, taking in every single inch of what was being shown to me. Nope, nothing was on the walls. I even rubbed my eyes just to make sure they weren't playing tricks on me and, sure enough, there was nothing there. Now this was interesting. What was going on?

 _Huh, wait?!_

As I'm about to turn away from the mirror, my eyes catch something on the wall inside it. I look and see another number pattern there. _What?_ It says: 0311.

0311\. _That must be the code!_

I rush back to the door, ecstatic. _Please work, please work!_ I type it in: 0311.

BEEP! Green light shows up.

 _YES!_ I mentally yell victoriously as I push the door open. _Goodbye stinky, Grudge bathroom; hello out-_

I froze. _Oh no!_

When will this nightmare end?


	9. Snow globe

By now you're probably thinking, seriously what the fuck is wrong with this girl? Is she going mad? Has she lost a nerve and gone crazy? Does she have a few screws loose in her brain? I wouldn't blame you if you did think like that of me by this point. I wouldn't believe it myself. In fact, I'm starting to think if really this has all been just some kind of horrible nightmare. The last week, the time travelling, me meeting up with Chloe, her getting shot, Mr Jefferson, the search for Amber, all of it.

 _Well if that's the case, I can tell you right now that this nightmare has just gotten worse._

I found myself, somehow sitting on a bench surrounded by … snow? What the hell? It's October for crying out loud! I mean sure, it snowed a little the other day but this was … like winter level. How could this be? What the hell was goi-

" _Excuse me, ladies. I have to go and rescue yonder Queen from the Sav-Mart. She doth have many bags of grub for us to feat upon!"_

That voice. I know it, it's … it's …

I look up and see a huge living room before me, and I mean _big_. It was as if everything had grown about six times its size; the carpet, the TV, the sofa, the shelves, the cabinet, the rug, the table and chairs, everything! How the hell was it this big? I look around me and notice that the snow was only in about a ten foot circle around the bench I'm sitting on and beyond that was some kind of … I don't know how to describe it. The best I can give is some kind of wall, obviously it looked like glass. _Oh great, now you can't even explain a glass wall!_

 _Well, I_ am _stuck in a place where everything looks like it's from '_ Jack and the Beanstalk'!

From around a corner ahead of me, where the edge of a cabinet was just visible, a huge person walks out. I know it may sound crazy but the size comparison was just incredible, and I mean that in a shocking way rather than one of astonishment. I look at the person and gasp.

"William!" I mutter to myself in complete shock.

It was him alright, right down to the very last detail. The same eyes, nose, mouth, hair style, clothes he was wearing on the day, the shoes, the way he talked, his voice …

His voice. _Joyce was really lucky to have him as a husband. He was such a loving father. Chloe needed him right now … and so do I._

I watched as he moved over to the table and scanned the top of it, moving the fruit bowl and the papers.

"Shit, where are my keys?" he asked.

" _That's a dollar for the swear jar!"_ I, in unison with William, snap my head to the right and see the back of a younger Chloe standing there fumbling around with something on the cabinet top. It was then it hit me!

 _I'm in Chloe's house again, and … that means this is …_

"You mean your college fund," William replied cheerfully as he began searching again. I wasn't watching though. I had my head buried in my hands, knowing what was about to happen. I had been through it already … about three times already? Four maybe? _Gah, I don't know!_

"Max, you seen my keys?" aame William's voice again and I looked up so quickly that I felt my neck click.

There, standing before me, a sad expression on her face was … was me. Not me as in a clone of me, but my younger self, back when I was thirteen. The shorter brown hair with a headband, the necklace, the blue shirt and much more freckly face, all of it was instantly recognizable. She, I mean I seemed to be staring at me, I mean myself, with a sad expression as if she- _Damnit! I mean I-_ were saying: _"Why are you making me do this? Why couldn't you stop it?"_

Now I really knew I was in the right time, only … _what am I doing standing by the fireplace?_ I heard William cuss out again and Chloe exclaim about how the swear jar was going to be full tonight. William responded about how she was 'bankrupting him' and continued to look, kneeling down and looking under the sofa and under the small coffee table in front of the sofa.

Even though I knew that I couldn't intervene because of what happened last time I did that, I was still praying that he wouldn't find the keys. _C'mon, William, just move away from the coffee table now. Please_. I even found myself standing up and pounding the edge of this glass wall, a panicked expression on my face as I almost screamed at him, begging that he would hear me or at least do what I wanted. My younger me just looked at me melancholically as if to say: _Why are you even trying?_ As if she had resigned him away to his fate already.

"Aha!" William's voice exclaimed from across the room and I, that is me and not younger me, looked over to see him stand up with the keys in his hand, having found them under his hat. "Found them. Alright, I'm off to pick up your mother. Play nice and try not to destroy too much of the house."

"We will, dad." Chloe called after him as he walked out of the living room towards the front door.

"Oh," William's voice came again as he stopped just out of view of the kitchen doorway. "And no Chloe and Max wine tasting session. We need that for your mother's salmon tonight." He told them, drawing a groan and an acquiescing "Okay, Dad," from Chloe.

With that, William walked away out the front door, out to his doom.

"No!" I whimpered, feeling my strength fall in a split-second and I sank to my knees, hitting my head against the glass. "No!" I said again.

 _"Are you happy now?!"_ I looked up and saw my younger self staring daggers at me, tears forming in her eyes. _"Thanks for ruining_ everything _for them and me!"_ she said to me through gritted teeth.

I … I just … couldn't find the words to argue back. She was right. _It was my fault, and it still is!_ My grip on controlling time is gone, my power is fucking useless! I can't save anyone, not even myself! _Some hero you are, Max Caulfield!_

Maybe … Maybe I'm just not meant to … to be a hero, or … maybe I'm not meant to save William from all this.

 _Is this pre-determined for me and Chloe? Are we meant to endure this?_

How cruel life can be. Now it's clear why they say 'life's a bitch!'.

My phone vibrating distracts me and I take it out of my pocket and open the tab to see a single text. It's from William. Swallowing hard, I open the text and see one message that feels like my heart is breaking in half once again.

' _Hey Max, say hi to Chloe and Joyce for me. :)_

 _Don't forget to tell them you let me die'_

I can't take it anymore. I let out a cry of pain as I throw my phone against the wall and fall on my side, sobbing loudly and cradling my head in my hands.

 _How long will this nightmare go on?!_


	10. Bitch Max

I don't know how long I was on the floor. Five minutes, ten, fifteen … maybe only a minuscule amount of time. Or maybe the exact opposite; oh I don't know. The result either way would be the same. I felt a ray of warm sunlight hit me on the cheek and I looked up and saw something that made me gasp aloud.

I was no longer in the snow globe. I wasn't even in Chloe's living room anymore or in her house at all for that matter. I was in a diner … Joyce's! The same silver counter with stools, the booths, the windows that looked out over the street near the bay, even though there was a crazy amount of sunlight coming in from the outside that it seemed to make anything beyond fifty feet of the windows impossible to see, the tiled floor, the cake stand, it was all here! _How the hell did I end up in this place?! Where else am I going to next!_

It was then, probably by my senses turning back on completely, that I noticed I wasn't alone. There were people scattered all around the diner. I got up from the floor, staring at them in disbelief. W-what?! H-how? Why? Weren't they all dead or running and hiding from the tornado? They _had_ to be! They-wait!

I look around me and see that the entire place is … is … all intact. It was completely intact as if nothing had happened. Everything was fine, it was like some normal day for Arcadia Bay. I looked outside and remembered the sunlight; it was so clear and bright as if it were a normal summer's day. Now I was really confused. Where was the tornado? Where was all the destruction and death and wind and rain? Where was it all?

 _Did I do something?_ I ask myself. _I mean, how could it have happened? Unless …_ oh great, _another_ nightmare trip. I glance around me and mentally comment to myself: _Well, this_ is _strange for a nightmare. There's no darkness or people searching for me or weird flashbacks like before._

Shaking my head a little to snap myself out of my thoughts, I resume taking in the faces of those around me. All of them were recognisable. To my right was Diane; directly in front of me sitting in one of the booths was Nathan and behind him was Victoria, both of them sitting across from some other girl I didn't recognise; Frank was on their right whilst on their left was Warren. To my left was the truck driver and the police officer I spoke to the other day was sitting next to him. What really stood out about them was their faces.

I walked over to Diane and gently waved my hand in front of her blank face. "D-Diane?" I asked softly, a tinge of nervousness in my voice.

No response. Nothing at all, not even any movement from her eyes in my direction. I just stared at her, bewildered. _What is going on?_

I looked over at Nathan and Victoria and rushed over to them, doing the same to them. Nothing. As with Diane, they didn't even look at me or my hand, they just stared ahead blankly as if they couldn't see me. It was like I was a ghost to them. If so, then why weren't they moving? Neither of them, or anyone else in the diner for that matter was moving. It was as if they were frozen it time, statues of the last happy memories of Arcadia Bay before its apocalyptic destruction at the hands of Mother Nature.

 _What another poetic way to look at all this, Max_ I mentally say to myself brusquely. _Seriously, though, I probably will become a poet who writes this sort of stuff when all this is over._

I move on past them, glancing at all the people standing or sitting completely still around the diner, blank looks on their faces as they seemed to stare ahead into nothing. Man, I was really starting to get creeped out by this. I felt like Will Smith in _I am legend_ when he's in that movie store and all of those mannequin humans are standing around the shop to act as if they're real. Man, that part of the movie was creepy as hell but really gave the audience an insight into his mentality when he's the only human left alive in New York. As I said, I felt a little like him, only there was this feeling of hope that I could fix all this. I mean, I had to. If I didn't, then everything would fall apart for Arcadia Bay and everyone in it, including me.

It was when I was about half-way down the diner that I noticed two more people standing behind the counter. I looked at them and stopped dead in my tracks when I saw it was Joyce and David. They were embracing each other tightly with a look of terror on her face whilst David had an expression of regret on it, as if he had done something and immediately wanted to go back in time to prevent it. _You can gladly have mine, Dave. No interest or fee, just take it!_ I stared at them apologetically, once again saying to myself; _Why did you have to do this?_

Haven't I ruined enough lives at the moment?

"They can't speak to you, moron!"

I swiftly turned my head in the direction of the voice and once again gasped in shock, almost falling over myself as my eyes made contact with those of the person who spoke.

It was … it was me! Not a younger me like I had seen in the snow globe in Chloe's house or some kind of older me. No, this was literally me! The same hair style, hoodie, top, jeans, shoes, bag over the shoulder. The same face that looked exactly like mine, the same mouth, nose and … the eyes, the ones that people say are a window into a person's soul and character. I could tell by looking at her, I mean me at once that it was exactly who I just said it was.

The other me, sitting in a booth, the same one me and Chloe had sat in a few days earlier just before we'd gone to the junkyard, rolled her eyes and let out an annoyed groan.

"Seriously, if you're gonna stare at me, just take a damn selfie!" she said irritably.

 _Shit, she even sounded like me!_ I swallowed hard and, tentatively, walked over to her, looking at her with a mixed expression of shock and awe, as funny as that would be. In a rather comical way, I felt like I was someone who spent their life drooling over a celebrity of some kind and that person had finally appeared in front of me in all their beauty and glory. _Wow, I'm a celebrity now. Looks I will be President after all!_

"W-who are you?" I asked the other me, which sounded like the world's stupidest question given the circumstance.

She rolled her eyes, issuing another groan of annoyance. "Seriously, are you for real?!" she snapped at me. "I'm you, dumbass. Or, correction, one of the many Maxes you've left behind."

Now _that_ was a surprise. One of the many Maxes? What was she talking about?!

"W-what do you mean?" I asked her. "In fact, no I don't care! Can you get me out of here?" I asked her in a pleading voice.

I didn't care anymore, I didn't care about this power of mine. _Curse_ _more like it_. I wanted to go home, back to Arcadia Bay, the _real_ one I mean, not one that's twisted by fate and time or whatever and where I'm not responsible for it being torn in two by a tornado or having my mentality and consciousness collapse all around me.

The other Max scoffed as if I had just made a joke. "Oh, you want help now?" her voice the started to turn mocking. "Awwww, 'Miss Superhero Max' needs help." Then it went back to normal. "Thought you could control everybody and everyone, huh?"

I just stared at her, at a loss for words. A part of me wanted to argue back, saying that I wasn't trying to do something like that. _I couldn't even if I tried! Nothing I did would allow me to! Who the hell does she think I am, God?_

But … another part of me wanted to strangle myself because … Because she was right. Over the last few days since I first obtained this power, I tried to do everything I could to stop all of these bad things from happening. I-I tried, I really did! I tried going back to save Chloe, _twice,_ if not more! I went back to save Alyssa from the football and being splashed outside the diner or falling into the pool at the Vortex Party. I tried to stop William from dying. I tried to save Kate. I wanted everything to be okay! I had to do it because I had the power and I didn't want anyone to suffer when I could have helped them.

No! I wasn't going to let this bitch me emotionally bully or blackmail me. I narrowed my eyes at her a little and she did the same as if she were my reflection in a mirror.

"I tried to help, I tried to do the right thing! That's all I wanted to do!" I told her.

She just shook her head, giving me a disgusted glare as if I were a child that had been caught lying to their parent. "No, you only wanted to be popular," she replied icily. "And the moment you got these 'amazing powers'-" she raised her hands and wiggled her fingers for emphasis for a moment before lowering them. "-your big plan was to trick people, all _these people-_ " She waved her arm at those around us and I looked, my eyes resting on Victoria, Warren, Nathan, Joyce, David, Diane, Kate and Daniel (both of whom were sitting in the booth behind the one the other me was in) and everyone else I knew. "Your only goal was to trick them into thinking you actually _cared_ about them!" the bitch me finished. You try to think you're a hero, you're nothing of the sort!"

Those words pierced my heart like a knife going into me. I felt tears begin to well up in my eyes. "I-I do care!" I cried. "That's why I wanted to make friends, I tried to help people!"

"By telling them what they wanted to hear?" she mercilessly attacked me and gave a light chuckle. "You were just looking for a shortcut because you can't make friends on your own!" She paused to let those words sink into my breaking heart and then went on, each word only beating me down further. "You think you're doing good with them but you've left nothing but a trail of death and suffering behind you! You're more of a goddamn hypocrite than anything else!"

Her words … I-I just couldn't hold myself together anymore. The tears began to fall down my face whilst a series of sobs escaped my throat. As much as I wanted to deny it, something inside me kept telling me, no it was literally _screaming_ at me: _She's right! Look at what you've done! It's all your fault!_

"And all for your stupid punk ass Chloe!" she carried on disgustedly. "Let me ask you something, _Max_ ," she added a snide tone on my name her face giving an expression that reflected that kind of tone. "Do you really think she's worth it?"

That made me go from sad to angry in the blink of an eye. Even though I was still crying, my eyes narrowed and my teeth and fists clenched as hard as they would go.

"Shut up!" I hissed at her. "She's my best friend. _Our_ best friend, how can you even say that about her?!"

Upon hearing these words, my nasty self burst out laughing, slamming her hand onto the table several times and leaning back against the seat as she tried to control herself.

"Oh … Oh my God!" she gasped between breaths of laughter. "Seriously, are you that stupid?!" she asked me with a rhetorical tone as she looked back up at me, still breaking out into fits of giggles as she looked up at my furious face. "You think she's your best friend but you ignored her for _five years_ whilst she went through hell. Ha! Some friend you are, _Max!_ " she finished, adding another snide tone on my name again.

Oh, I wanted to punch her in the face. "Y'know, you're nothing but a bitch! Chloe does a better job of guilt-tripping me than you do!" I pointed a finger at her.

"That's because you let her bully you! It's called 'Stockholm Syndrome', stupid! Wake up! Do you honestly think she's our friend?" she asked me, though I noticed that this time her tone was one of someone asking a real question rather than rhetorical. She even waited for me to respond. "Seriously? Between her and Jefferson, I'd be more worried about her killing us!"

The sound of the diner door opening cut me off from replying as we looked at that direction to see someone enter. I heard the bitch me say: "Oh, speak of the devil!" but my heart was leaping with joy.

 _Chloe!_

She walked over to us, giving me a comforting smile and a look that told me: _"Don't worry, I'm with you, no matter what,"_ and sat down across the other me, glaring at her dangerously.

"Dude, do not even fuck with her head!" she snapped at her, leaning close in an intimidating way akin to a predator trying to warn off another predator by making itself as large as possible. "You don't know what we've been through this week! There's no way you can break up out team!"

The bitch me just stared at her at a loss for words, her mouth hanging open as she tried to string together a few words but her voice box seemed to disobey her. She had met her match. In the space of a few seconds, she had gone from being the harasser to the harassed, in a good way that is.

I found myself crying, but this time with joy because Chloe … oh, Chloe was defending me from myself. Yes, she was reassuring me and stamping out all of the doubt and hatred I had for myself. Everything bad that had happened this week, it-it didn't matter anymore! Oh, I felt so relieved.

 _Would it be overdoing it to say that I felt like a princess being saved by her 'prince charming'?_ I mentally asked myself. _Probably but right now I don't care._

I watched as Chloe continued to give her lip in defence of me. It was so exhilarating to see and hear that things were starting to look up a little.

As much as Chloe had been a bit of a pain and maybe even the cause for this nightmare, maybe she was here to get me out of it.

I wouldn't stop her, not as long as we were partners in time.


	11. Goodbye

**Greetings fellow FF readers and writers. Just to point out this will be the final chapter of the story. I hope you have all enjoyed it as I have.  
So let's wrap it up. **

With a flash of light briefly filling the room, I lowered the camera from my face as I had just taken a picture of the small blue butterfly on the janitor's bucket on the floor in front of me. The flash and the noise of the camera seemed to have startled the insect as it started fluttering away from me and in the direction of the sinks along the wall behind me, my eyes watching it like I was one of those bug watchers. Anyone looking on the butterfly now would have thought it was such a serene sight, a picture of the natural beauty of Mother Nature. Maybe even her reminding us humans that even when we're inside our houses and completely cut off from the outside world, she can still captivate us at a will.

But not me. Not that I hated nature but it was because of the situation I found myself in now. I glance around nervously at the rest of the bathroom, poking my head out from behind the end stall and taking in the walk to the bathroom door and the sinks along the wall to the left and the four or five bathroom stalls to the right. The pungent and degrading smell that usually permeated toilets because of someone's unflushed business or damp walls and ceilings and water splashed all over the floor filled the air.

 _This was it! This was the bathroom where … where …_

Oh no! I retreated back behind the end stall and slumped down to the floor, resting my back against the wall, looking up at the ceiling as if I were trying to ask some heavenly body _why._ Why was this happening to me _again_? Why was _I_ having to do this, why did it have to be me? I didn't want to go through it again! I wanted to save Chloe. Maybe I still could; I could ignore the desire for time and fate to have me sacrifice her to save Arcadia Bay. I could save both of them!

 _Yes!_ A determined sensation rushed through me as if I were a marathon runner who had caught sight of the finish line and, despite being exhausted and fed up, was going to carry on to the end or die trying. _I'm gonna save Chloe_ and _Arcadia Bay. Fuck that bitch side of me! I'll do it no matter what she and the ot-_

The sound of a door swinging open snapped me out of my thoughts and my breath became caught in my throat. Footsteps followed, each one coming closer to me. Oh no! Had I been found out?! My head turned in the direction of the part of the bathroom, waiting to see a head poke itself around the corner of the stall and berate me for hiding in the bathroom. Who would it be? David? Nathan? Kate? Victoria? Or maybe even Chloe?

The footsteps neared me, each thud of the shoe echoing in my ears. For some strange reason, I briefly began to reflect on everything that had happened over the past week as if it were my life. Then again, considering how severe it had all been, I wouldn't be surprised if that was all my life could be defined by now if someone were to study it in depth. What would they think of me? Would they see me as a monster for letting everyone die in the past timeline, or timelines or whatever? Or was I to be deemed a failure and a complete charlatan for not saving someone I held dear to my heart and had done for years and had now let them be taken away when I had the power to prevent that?

Wait. As I was referring to Chloe and I was in the bathroom. My eyes widened a little in sudden realisation as I remembered why I was here in the first place.

"It's okay, Nathan. Get it together!" A male's voice spoke up from further down the bathroom.

Slowly and tentatively, I slightly poked my head out from behind the stall again and saw Nathan Prescott standing there, hands resting on a sink in front of him and leaning on them as he stared into the mirror. His reflection looked back at him as if it were staring directly into his soul, silently berating him for his failures over the past few months. He swallowed hard, intimidated by his own self in the parallel world in front of him and, straightening up a little, tugged at his red jacket, almost as if he were trying to appear business or politician-like when one would prepare themselves externally as well as internally before giving a speech or presentation.

"C'mon, you own Blackwell. No one can tell you what to do here!" he muttered to himself in a nigh-on deluded manner and his voice tried to take on a more confident tone. "You own Blackwell. Yeah, that's it! If you wanted, you could blow it up and no one would say a damn word!"

I could feel the emotion emanating off him like he was a radiator. He wanted to appear the big and tough person he saw himself as, to live up to his father's name. He wanted to prove to even himself that he could do whatever he wanted because of who his social standing. Yet, I could see that he was nervous. As much as Nathan was a show off on the outside, inside he was terrified and seemed to just smell of fear.

His head moved ever so slightly to the right and he leant in a little, muttering something incoherent under his breath. What was he staring at? It was not like he could se-uh oh!

I retreated back behind the stall quickly, cursing that I made a slight shuffling sound as I went. I heard a shoe scrape across the tiled floor and Nathan muttered something, though it was hard to make out again. My heart seemed to stop as I heard him step in my direction, though it was slow as if he was unsure of what he had seen but, human curiosity being human curiosity, he was going to investigate.

 _Oh shit! I'm dead!_ Was all I could think of as he took another step down the bathroom, this time it being more normal as if he were out on a walk.

The door to the bathroom swung open again, hitting the wall with a loud thud. Nathan gasped loudly and then said: "Jeez, you wanna give someone a heart attack?!" to someone.

For the briefest moment, I relaxed, safe in the fact that I was not going to be discovered. I was safe. Nathan wouldn't hurt me. I was safe.

"Oh don't be a whiny four year old, Prescott!"

It was like the waves of the ocean had swept away all of my hopes, my dreams, my courage and happiness all at once as I heard that voice again. My eyes became wet and I silently began to sob.

 _Chloe!_ I mouthed silently, though I would have screamed it to the heavens themselves as I knew what was about to happen.

Nathan tutted loudly and said irritably: "So what do you want?"

More footsteps followed, followed by the sound of several stall doors being pushed open, the creaks of them moving filling the air and getting louder as I suspected Chloe was checking them to make sure they weren't being spied on.

"Well I hope you checked the perimeter, as my 'Step-ass' would say," she replied.

She must have stopped near the open stall I was leaning against and saw it was empty before moving back down the bathroom. Part of me was hoping that she would have taken just one or two more steps, maybe three at most and seen me sitting there. _If only that could have happened, then none of this would have happened!_

"Now, let's talk bidness," she said to Nathan bluntly.

"I got nothing for you," he replied, copying her tone of voice with his. "You're wasting your time!"

I heard Chloe scoff. "Oh am I?" she asked sarcastically. "You're the one whose wrong! You got hella cash and I wanna see it, Prescott!"

Nathan growled and I heard him fumble zip open something, probably his back jeans pocket as he did not have a bag with him. A second later, I heard an intake of breath from Chloe, sounding very afraid. My eyes began to water heavily now and I placed my hands over my head, still amazed that I was not crying out loud.

"You don't know who the fuck I am, do you!" Nathan barked at Chloe. "You don't know who my family is or who _you_ are messing with, bitch!"

"W-where'd you g-get that?!" Chloe stammered, the fear evident in her voice and I heard rapid footsteps, her likely backing up in fear whilst Nathan advanced threateningly on her. "What are you doing?! C'mon, put that thing down!" she begged him desperately.

"Don't you _ever_ tell me what to do! I'm _so sick_ of people trying to control me! Not anymore!"

I heard a light thud, Chloe having probably hit the door and was left at Nathan's mercy. I wanted to go help her but … but I just couldn't. Oh, I felt so helpless. I could do nothing to stop this! _Nothing!_

"Nathan!" Chloe exclaimed in a panicked tone. "You're gonna get in a lot of trouble over more than drugs for this!" she warned him, though the fear was still clearly present despite her attempt at hitting back at him with intimidation.

Nathan, who sounded like he could care less or was probably deluded beyond rationality by this point, just gave a light titter.

"Don't try and act like the town preacher!" he snapped at her. "You think you're so tough, but nobody cares about you. You hear me?! _Nobody_ would _ever_ miss your sorry punk ass, would they?!"

"Get that gun away from my psycho!"

My body shook as a single shot rang out. My heart seemed to just stop, just like … Ha, just like time itself funnily enough! Tears fell from my eyes as I heard Chloe's body slump to the floor, the sound making me bury my head in my shoulder and bring my knees up to my chest and embracing them tightly.

The last thing I heard from her was her trying to say something with strangled breaths before falling silent.

I collapsed into a fit of silent sobs and tears were now pouring from my eyes as I felt my world breaking around me, though none of it was as painful as the feeling of my heart snapping in two.

 _Goodbye Chloe._

A goodbye indeed. This was what it felt like to be a hero, this was the happy ending I longed for.

Some ending it was.


End file.
